Overprotective
by Reflection of a Broken Dream
Summary: Kagome, as a child, happens upon a battlefield by accident and it changes her life forever...it also changes the life of one ruffled crimson-eyed hybrid who now owns a white scarf. Even though he erases her memories of the event, they meet again. Great! Now he feels an odd attachment to the girl... Checking in on her every so often, he makes sure she isn't getting herself into any


**Overprotective**

**Author: Reflection of a Broken Dream**

**Pairing: Kagome (Inuyasha) x Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho)**

**Quick Note**:

- I hope you all enjoy this! It's a Hiei x Kagome that starts in the basic P.O.V. (Point of View) of Hiei. This will change, but it was needed for this first chapter.

- I made up Satoshi Park. Let's pretend it's a park near where Kagome lives...

- Please Review!

**Disclaimer**:

I Do Not Own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho!

**Overprotective**

**Chapter 1 - Forgotten Memories**

**The wooded area behind the Higurashi Shrine, Thirteen Years Ago...**

"You little bassstard," the lizard demon spat at Hiei, the man standing just across the clearing from said demon. "I thought we had a deal." The two demons had _just _gotten through mapping out the layout of Reikai, Hiei almost ready to start his infiltration of the castle for the three sacred objects within. A few more years and he would be set...

"We did," Hiei admitted, fearlessly staring down the irate man before him. (The only thing remotely lizard-like about him in his humanoid form was his wide ruby eyes and his short green hair.) "And now it's over. I'm cutting my liability- _you_." The lizard, Shiki, had been excellent for his purpose- mapping, something Hiei wasn't particularly good at- but he'd almost gotten them caught three seperate times. He was a liability, therefore no good to Hiei's impending mission.

"You can't do thisss," Shiki hissed, his red eyes narrowing down.

"I can and I have," Hiei replied boredly. "Walk away and keep your life or die by my hand. Your choice." Of course, he wasn't _really _about to let Shiki leave with his life...if he turned his back on Hiei, he would be dead before he knew what happened...

"Thisssss issss unacceptable!" Shiki roared, outraged. Hiei put his hand on the hilt of his blade. What Shiki did next startled him. The lizard got down on all fours and transformed into his reptilian form, green scales appearing as his pale skin faded away and a tail ripped through the back of his pants. He, literally, looked like a giant lizard. Shiki began stomping the ground and hissing in his native tongue. The ground shook a moment before more lizard demons began to surface. _'An ambush_,' Hiei cursed silently within his mind as he drew his sword. _'I didn't think he'd have the balls to betray me like this_...' He silently cursed again when he remembered _why _lizard demons were so bothersome. _'Their hides are too thick for my blade to slice...their soft bellies are the only place they can be cut_.' Mind set, Hiei blazed into battle, blocking claws with his sword and aiming for their well-protected bellies. It was difficult, to say the least...

About ten minutes into the battle, two lizards down of eleven, he noticed the faint scent of a human drawing nearer to the battlefield. _'Just what I need_,' Hiei growled, the koorime slicing open another lizard's stomach and jumping back before the innards spilled on him. He didn't mind being covered in a little gore, but he couldn't afford to be slippery with it at the moment. It would throw him off. _'I'll save it for the last- Shiki_.' Hiei couldn't help the sadistic grin from spreading across his face as he dodged lizard legs and slid under another to the opposite side, his blade cleanly slicing open the tender flesh of the lizard's chest and stomach. _'That was almost __**too **__easy_...' Hiei narrowed his eyes as he slipped under another lizard, easily ripping the tender flesh and rolling away before the guts could spill out on him. His lips turned down into a frown as he realized that most seemed to be thrown by the scent of the human- it was coming nearer- and they were between going to kill the human and dealing with him. That should have been an easy decision. Humans are easy to take care of..._he _is not. Aim for the toughest, take them out first, _then _deal with the weaker. _'I'm not about to complain, though. The human is giving me time and a distraction. I may, __**may**__, let the human live...' _He was serious in his contemplation as he easily took out another lizard. _'Five remaining_.'

"_Human_!" one of the lizards hissed angrily, the three focused on the spot the human was nearing and two focused on keeping Hiei back from the three looking to go after the human.

"Female," another hissed out softly, his eyes trained on the spot she would come from.

"A meddlesome child!" the last ground out, surprising Hiei a little. "This won't take but a moment..." _'A girl-child_?' Hiei asked himself silently, feeling an odd mix of emotions as her scent wafted into the clearing. He was barely able to discern it over the rancid stench of lizard blood and guts. It shouldn't have bothered him. It wasn't as though he hadn't killed children before...but it never sat quite right with him. Especially girl-childs. They tended to remind him of his half-sister...

"Here she comes...," the second lizard spoke softly, his muscles tensing as they awaited her arrival into the clearing. It was in that moment that Hiei lost control of himself...just for a minute. It was enough to quit grappling with the lizard before him and force him back. Hiei then propelled himself beneath the lizard, slicing him wide open. He continued to slide to the far side before he jumped, preforming a somersault midair, and landed protectively in front of the approaching girl-child. He idly noted that she had waist-length raven hair and wide azure eyes...she was probably about four or five.

"Your fight is with _me_," Hiei snarled out, fangs bared. The three before him paused in shock for a brief moment before they narrowed their eyes and began to attack again. He caught their claws on his blade. "Run, girl." Hiei managed to glance back at the child behind him, the girl looking up at him with watering blue doe eyes. He could smell her scent more clearly now, it permeated the air around him like a soft, lingering perfume. Her scent was that of rain-kissed blades of grass after a storm, spiderlilies, some sort of hot and sweet spice, a hint of bellflower, and an odd purity reminscent of the air in ages long past. He wasn't sure how to describe it- it was like untainted sweet air that was a treat to intake in this day and age in Ningenkai. Her scent was almost comforting, endearing, in its own odd way, and he hated to admit that he liked it...just a little.

A small nod cleared his head. '_I asked her to run and she's going to run now_,' he reminded himself as he turned back to the demons before him. He felt oddly satisfied- she was getting away from impending danger- and a little dissatisfied- her scent was leaving...- to hear her little feet pad away probably as quickly as she could go (not very fast at _all _by his standards). He felt her retreat with his probing youki. Hiei was mildly surprised to feel a little of her pure reiki push back against his youki. It was a gentle push, not at all threatening, but...she had spirit energy. A good deal of it for a child. She would be pulled into the world of demons again one day. For some reason, that made Hiei's stomach churn uncomfortably. _'Why do I care?' _he growled mentally re-focusing on the battle and keeping extremely sharp claws at bay. _'When she gets older she'll probably become one of Koenma's pawns. One of my enemies. It isn't safe to associate with her_.' And yet he felt an odd sense of loss at the thought, at leaving her after the battle and never turning back. His lips downturned into a deeper frown than they already were. He'd never felt attachment to any but his younger half-sister before...and he couldn't honestly say this was an 'attachment', per se, but it was something akin to it. He didn't like it. Not at _all_.

"Oomph," Hiei grunted as he hit the ground. His lack of focus had lead to him being overpowered by the reptile in front of him. _'No...I don't like this at __**all**_...,' he repeated silently.

"Die!" the lizard that knocked him down screeched as he reared back and raised his razor-sharp claws high in the air, preparing to deal him a hard- potentially fatal- blow.

"Get the girl," Shiki barked at the two others as they started to waddle-run in the direction the girl went. They weren't entirely fast in their pursuit, but not entirely slow, either. It wouldn't take much for them to catch up to her. Hiei felt a snarl rip from his throat as his inner youkai rose. He couldn't have that. He _wouldn't _have it.

"You won't lay a hand on her," Hiei growled softly as the lizard's claw over him quickly descended and slammed against the ground. He used his incredible speed to move out of the way in time, slicing the underbelly of the beast before he slid out from under it, the lizard dead before he realized it. Hiei didn't linger, letting the giant reptile stumble and die on his own as he raced off in the direction of the other lizards. "Rrrgggghhh..." His chest rumbled with the growl as he spun, sliding under the slowest lizard, slicing him in two from beneath as he continued on. The giant beast behind him stumbled and crashed to a stop.

"Eeaaahhhhh!" the little girl's scream pierced the air, ringing in Hiei's ears. Another feral snarl ripped from his throat as he quickly caught up, the lizard in front of her poised to attack. She cowered against the trunk of a tree, her azure eyes overflowing with tears as they slid shut, the girl awaiting her impending death.

"No," Hiei hissed, pushing his legs to their physical limits as the reptilian front leg came down, claws extended. Hiei's heart was pounding in his ears as he _barely _managed to rescue the girl in time, his arms picking her up and securing her to his body as he turned slightly, the claw catching on his arm as he sped by. "Nnggh..."

"Yeek!" the girl let out a little screech as he leaned too far to the side, tumbling to the ground with her. The girl was safe inside his grasp, but she radiated fear. She'd almost got killed, he couldn't fault her for her fear. Hiei easily rolled to a stop on his back, his arm stinging, blood flowing freely from the wound. The little girl was on top of his chest, shaking lightly as she slowly opened her eyes and peered down at him. He slowly rolled to the side and gently placed the girl on the ground, the man very much aware of the angry hissing and stomping of the angry lizard demons nearby. He ignored the pain in his arm as he sat up, the girl staring at his left arm with wide, swirling blue orbs.

"You're hurt," she whimpered out, surprising him. He chose to ignore her obvious statement. She was probably in shock, amongst other things.

"Stay here," Hiei commanded instead as he got to his feet, the man picking up his blade he'd momentarily dropped as the lizards approached menacingly. "And close your eyes." His crimson eyes flickered to the girl as he took a protective stance in front of her again. She closed her eyes and covered them with her small hands, the girl still shaking from her brush with death. Hiei turned his eyes back to the lizards, satisfied that she was being so obedient.

"Wait until I tell everyone that Hiei has a weakness," Shiki sneered from the side, letting the other one draw closer to him. He'd stayed back through most of the fighting, showing how much of a coward he really was. "Human children. Who would have thought?" The other one snickered as Hiei's eyes narrowed.

"He _is _a forbidden child, though, Shiki," the other lizard grinned toothily. "He has different tastes than us. Humans must do it for him." They shared another laugh and Hiei felt himself snap. With a soft growl and a burst of speed, he'd run to the side and slid beneath the demon, slicing him horizontally as he slid to face Shiki. It took him a moment to realize what had happened as the lizard gasped and stumbled, writhing in pain and crying out as he died. His angry ruby eyes fixated on Hiei and the man couldn't help but smirk up at the large beast.

"Humans mean nothing to me," Hiei spoke, making the large reptile's brow crease. "It just so happens that I feel more merciful to her today than to you." Shiki's eyes widened as Hiei dissappeared in a burst of speed and slid beneath his slightly-parted front legs. It was an easy vertical slice that Hiei extended to the end of his tail just to deal a little extra pain out of spite. Shiki gasped and screeched his death cry as Hiei walked away from the dying lizard. He made his way to the small girl-child, really looking at her for the first time. She was wrapped up in a blue coat and white scarf with black leggings and simple white and blue shoes. She looked so small tucked into the scarf and coat... He didn't let the thoughts linger. He knelt before her when he got to her and gently picked her up bridal style. She let out a little gasp of fear before she realized that it was _him _picking her up. Her fear quickly dissipated. "Keep your eyes shut." She slowly nodded and did as he asked, the man taking her away from the battle grounds. "Do you live at the shrine?"

"Yes," She whispered out with a small nod. He walked towards the shrine. It was quiet for a long moment, but he could hear the whispering of questions swirling around her mind. (His Jagan eye had decided to peer into her mind without his consent- it wasn't a horrible wrong, but the lack of control he had over the Jagan, at times, was disconcerning. It was an issue he would deal with later...) She didn't quite understand the situation, that she'd been close to death. She didn't understand him...but she seemed to innately trust him for _whatever _reasons. Finally, her pink lips parted again. "My name's Higurashi Kagome." He blinked down at the child in surprise. He honestly hadn't expected her to talk to him again. "What's yours?"

"Hiei," he responded shortly, blinking when she smiled brightly at him.

"Hiei," she repeated slowly, letting his name roll over her tongue. There was another brief moment of silence. "I like it." Hiei raised a brow. She was an odd child. '_An odd child with an odd name_,' he mentally noted. _'And odd eyes... I don't recall any other human children in this part having blue eyes_.' "Are you taking me home, Hiei?"

"I am," he replied before he realized what he was saying.

"Will you stay?" She asked in a very hopeful, childish way.

"No," he deadpanned, not wanting to give her hope that he would staying...because he wouldn't be. In fact, he would probably never come back to this area again...

"It's because you're different, isn't it?" She asked, surprising him again. "I can feel things sometimes...mommy says it's a gift. I can tell you're not like me and mommy and daddy. Kind of like those big...things...but different. You don't feel evil. You saved me, Hiei, you're a good guy." Hiei almost snorted indignantly at being called a 'good guy'. He most certainly _was not_. ...But he supposed he would let it slide for now. He had saved her, after all, so she probably percieved him as a good guy and always would if he ever happened to be around again. '_I'll have to rectify that_,' he frowned inwardly. '_I'll take her memories of the event and of myself. She won't remember me_.' Finding both satisfaction and slight dissatisfaction at his thought, he continued to carry her to the edge of the clearing that her home was located, ignoring some odd ramblings about her cat.

"You can open your eyes now," Hiei spoke as he put her down on her own feet. She did just that, her eyes sparkling up at him as they were revealed again. They lost some of the sparkle as they landed on his hurt arm, though. It had stopped bleeding, so it was of no consequence to him.

"Your arm...," she pointed out, her brow furrowing before she seemed to have an idea. Curious, Hiei watched as she unwravelled her white scarf and then tugged on his sleeve. "Bend down. I can wrap it like mommy wraps _my _boo boos." Frowning lightly at her word usage, Hiei allowed himself to kneel down to her level, watching her with confused eyes as she wrapped it as well as she could. "There." She smiled at her handiwork. It wasn't very good...

"Why did you wrap my arm?" Hiei blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Because you're hurt," she blinked back at him. "You needed to cover it."

"I'm fine," Hiei sniffed. "I heal faster than you do."

"Then keep it," Kagome shrugged, surprising him again.

"Why?" Hiei asked again, his eyes narrowed slightly at the girl.

"Just to keep it," she frowned at him. "It's a gift. For getting me away from the bad guys."

"Hn," Hiei frowned, but didn't move to take it off. She obviously took it as a sign that he'd keep it as she smiled brightly at him again. "I have to leave now."

"Okay...will you come back and see me again, Hiei?" She asked with hopeful, imploring eyes.

"No," he replied. He sighed, hating how her scent instantly tainted with sadness. "Maybe." Some of the sadness left her as she smiled a little at him again. No harm in lying to her...even if he _did _feel guilty for it...

"I can't wait to see you again," She began talking innanely again. "You'll have to meet mommy and daddy and buyo-" Hiei pulled the headband from his Jagan, the third eye opening. She looked at it in wonder with a soft breath of surprise.

"Sleep," he commanded. Her eyes wearied and slowly shut. He caught the small girl in his arms and carefully laid her down on the back stoop, taking all of her memories of the event. "Goodbye...Kagome." With that and a knock to the back door, he leapt into the nearby trees, making his way back to the remains of the lizards to burn them. His fingers lingered on the white scarf. It was his very first gift, his very first kindness...from a human, of _all _people...

**Near Satoshi Park, Ten Years Ago...**

"Hnn...," Hiei hummed to himself as he leapt from tree to tree, the man headed towards a nearby park. The rise in youki had caught his attention, so he was going to investigate...not that it mattered. He just wanted to kill something...his plan to raid Reikai wasn't coming together like he'd thought it would. His main ally for the mission- a ten year-old part-human Youko Kurama- had just told him that he wouldn't participate. Unwilling to get on the fox's bad side after a short arguement, Hiei had left. Now he had to come up with something else. This was _more _than vexing... "Mmmhh..." Hiei stopped short on a high-up branch in the park, his crimson eyes roaming the land for the demons that were coming. His right hand idly clenched around the hilt of his blade while his left hand habitually touched part of the white scarf wrapped around his neck. He wasn't entirely sure why he had kept it, but he knew that he hadn't wanted to just throw it away...

"Yaaaaaahhh!" a young girl's scream rang in the air, surprising Hiei. He hadn't smelled the human, hadn't sensed her presence at all until now. Her presence filled the forest as she ran towards the area he was lying in wait, her raven hair flying behind her like a cape. _'Her power is repressed...purposefully_,' he idly noted as she drew nearer. _'For such a young girl-child, she is coming into her own with her power...wait...'_

"That scent...," Hiei gasped, his eyes widening as his lips twisted down into a frown. The girl practically ran into his tree, huffing and puffing, trying to catch her breath. "Foolish girl..." He growled softly as the stench of bloodthirsty demons approached with haste. Hiei dropped from the tree without thought, taking an offensive stance in front of the same girl he'd saved a mere three years ago. "Shut your eyes, girl."

"Oh?" the soft gasp passed her lips. "Who are you? Do you want to kill me, too?"

"No," Hiei admitted softly, surprising her. He could tell it by the changing of her scent. "My name is Hiei. That is all you need to know...now close your eyes." He peered back at her in time to see her nod, the girl doing as she was told with the same sense of innate trust in him as the first time. He returned his attention to the oncoming demons as they stepped around trees. _'Two cat demons and a bat demon_,' he noted silently. The group was a bit odd, but it didn't matter. He would kill them, nonetheless.

"She's ours," the only female of the group hissed, bearing her fangs at him as her cat-like tail swayed anxiously behind her.

"We found her first, so she's _our _meal," the male cat demon reinforced his counterpart's hiss.

"Stand down, Forbidden One, or we will have to kill you," the bat spoke, his voice soft but commanding authority. He was, obviously, the leader of this little group.

"And if I refuse?" Hiei asked, his hand tightening on his blade, his left hand on the sheith.

"Then you will die," the bat replied, opening his leathery black wings wide. It was a silent signal to attack, the cats launching forwards before his wings were fully spread. Hiei drew his sword quickly enough that his blade clashed against the claws of the humanoid cat demons, the two hissing at him aggressively as their jaws snapped at his face. He barely managed to lean back in time, Hiei having to use his full strength to push the cats back. With a grunt, he lashed out at the cats with his free hand, his hand coming into contact with the female's face. She flew backwards and that was enough to distract the male. Hiei pulled back slightly and then launched the sword up, into the cat's ribcage. The tom jumped away before he could do any _real _damage, though. The male cradled a hand to his ribs as the wound sealed enough to stop bleeding. The female rose to his side, rubbing her face where Hiei had struck her. The bat didn't seem to be moving...yet. Hiei was somewhat thankful for the moment, knowing that he cats would be hell to deal with on their own- they were smart and fast predators. He would have to be careful not to let them gain ground on the girl...

"Hn," Hiei shifted minutely before he launched himself at the cats at top speed. His speed had caught them offguard, the two moving awkwardly in order to get out of his immediate strike zone. Still, he swung his blade with precision, recalculating the distance as he leaned a little farther to the left than he had originally intended, the two having split before him. Hiei was satisfied to feel the blade tear through flesh as the female cat hissed in pain and moved quickly away from him and his sword. The male made a move on him, Hiei's back turned to him for a brief moment. Burning, searing pain ignited in Hiei's back, causing him to groan in pain through his grit teeth. He swung back, but by the time his sword reached the place the male had been, he was gone. Laughter rang in his ears as he turned back to the duo, his crimson eyes narrowing at them.

"Not so fun _now_, _is _it, half-breed?" the male chuckled, licking his claws clean of Hiei's blood. Hiei opened his lips to speak, but was instantly halted by the pink sprig that was flung at the female cat. That small snippet of a branch was _loaded _with purifying reiki...and it only _briefly _touched her head before bouncing harmlessly off and to the side. Crimson eyes widened as the female shrieked loudly, agony gripping her voice and her golden eyes as her body, quite suddenly, burst into a shimmering pile of dust. Her youki faded away as though she had never been there to begin with, the slight mid-summer wind carrying her remains away.

"AKEMI!" the male cat cried in anguish, sinking to his knees as Hiei's eyes roamed back to the direction the branch came from- the very human girl-child that stood against her tree. She gave him a hesitant, sheepish, smile as his brow rose. _'What power_...,' he noted silently. He had never come across a human that had housed as much power as her...nor had he come across one with the same...skill. He had heard of mikos and monks of old that could purify demons with just a touch- it was a gift from the kami to the humans for defense against demons while the words were still joined- but he'd never seen one in person before. In fact, it was thought that the mikos and monks had lost their abilities over time because they no longer needed them with the worlds seperated like they were. Apparently there were still a few around...

"Calm yourself, Akio," the bat demon called, all eyes turning back to the wise bat. "Revenge is nigh. The small girl is the one that killed your sister...be wary of her power. Do not let her touch you." With a sharp nod, the cat stood, tears trailing down his face as he drew his knife. Akio turned his sights fully on the girl, ignoring Hiei altogether. **_'Big _**_mistake_...,' Hiei growled in the safe confines of his mind. The girl-child- what was her name again?- backed into her tree, a look of pure fear on her face as her hands desperately groped for something to use against the predatorially approaching cat. _'No need, child_.' Hiei easily got behind the cat and slid his blade into his back from behind. He had gotten a mere five feet from the girl- Hiei wouldn't have allowed him to get any closer than that. Azure eyes widened as crimson orbs met them over the cat's shoulder, the man twisting his blade into his heart. The male cat sputtered before he became still and heavy. Hiei easily dropped him off the end of his blade and wiped the blood on the male's shirt to clean it. All the while, his eyes didn't leave hers. He could tell that she was a little scared and revolted by the way he had killed the cat, but he'd had no choice.  
It could have been a _lot _worse.

Hiei could have beheaded him, letting the blood spray everywhere...but he was fairly sure that something like that would have overloaded her puny human brain and caused her to lose consciousness. She was pale and looked to be on the verge as it was. Turning his probing eyes back to the bat, Hiei noticed that he remained still, not grabbing for a weapon or even _trying _to attack.

"Aren't you going to avenge your allies?" Hiei asked bluntly, staring the bat down.

"No...I'm not much of a fighter," he admitted, surprising him. He extended his wings a bit and Hiei could see that one of his wings was not useable. There were several places that had been broken and had not healed right. Once a bat's wings were messed up, that was it. Like most animals with wings, they gave up on life, feeling that their freedom was taken away from them. "I teach battle basics to runts like _they _that pay me for my services...but I no longer fight, myself. Perhaps we will run into one another again some day, perhaps not." Despite the bat's dissmissive words and seemingly uncaring demeanor, Hiei felt a spark of resentment aimed at him. Without a doubt, Hiei knew that he would face the bat again one day. With an incline of the bat's head and a motion of his hands, a portal appeared below him and he silently sank into it without another word. Feeling the last vestiges of the tunnel to Makai ripple out, Hiei allowed himself to shake off the odd conversation and sheith his sword.

"Oh...," he heard the girl sigh before she hit the ground. Looking back, he saw that she had collapsed to her knees. "That was close..." A hand lifted to her still-racing heart. Hiei could clearly hear her heart rapidly thumping away in her chest.

"Do you _always _draw this much danger to yourself?" Hiei asked, watching her jump as her azure eyes focused back on him.

"Sometimes..., " she admitted softly. She paused for a brief moment. "Thanks for saving me. I wouldn't have made it out without your help..." Another small pause as he inclined his head to her. "My name's Higurashi Kagome. What's yours?" Hiei felt a hint of deja vu as she said the last and he knew that she felt it, too. He recalled that she had said the same exact thing three years ago. She- Kagome- however, looked a bit confused. She didn't know why she felt the way she did- he'd erased her memories of it, so he wasn't surprised.

"Hiei," he answered as shortly as he had the first time he'd told her his name. She seemed to shake off the odd feeling of deja vu.

"Hiei...," Kagome spoke softly, testing his name on her lips. Like the first time, she smiled brightly at him. "I like it." Again, a replica of the time they had met. He didn't allow it to continue, odd emotions of his own surfacing.

"Are your parents nearby?" Hiei asked, expecting an answer.

"At the front part of the park," Kagome nodded. "Waiting for me and talking to other grown-ups." He nodded acceptingly.

"Your power...does it attract demons?" he prodded. He _had _to know- he hadn't saved her twice just for her to get herself killed at another point in time...

"Yes...," she spoke softly, her azure eyes downturning in sadness. "But mommy and daddy don't know. I make sure they don't."

"How so?" he asked, only a hint of his curiosity showing in his voice.

"...I have to turn them to dust," Kagome answered softly, simply. "Just like I did to that girl, so they don't hurt us." Hiei's eyes narrowed a smidgeon at the girl before him. She was still a child...yet she had taken on such a large responsibility. "Mommy and daddy don't believe in demons. They don't know...but _I _do." And she was alone in her responsibility...

"Do you wish you didn't have to deal with such things?" Hiei asked, a solution in mind. He'd been planning on doing this since he learned it was _her _that he'd saved..._again_. "Do you wish that you could forget and that demons would stop bothering you?"

"Sometimes," Kagome sniffled. He could smell the tears that she tried to hold back as she looked up at him with glassy blue eyes. "But I don't want to forget about someone like _you_, Hiei. You're proof that not all demons are bad..." Her eyes seemed to plead with him, as though she knew what he was about to do...but that was impossible. She couldn't _possibly _know what he was up to... "But it would be nice...not to have to have to turn demons to dust all the time..." She admitted the last softly, hesitantly, her eyes falling to his chest.

"I can make it so," Hiei spoke, striding over to her and kneeling before her as her eyes widened.

"What-?" She started and stopped, gazing at his forehead as he pulled his headband down, revealing his third eye. She gaped at it in wonder.

"Sleep," he commanded. After a short moment of blinking and trying to stay awake, Kagome drifted to sleep. Hiei caught her mid-fall forwards and he shifted so that he could pull her into his arms bridal-style. Standing with her, he did something she would never be able to forgive him for if she ever remembered...and she _wouldn't _remember it. He would see to that _personally_. "You won't remember this, Kagome. You won't remember _me_." Using the power of his Jagan eye, he erased all of Kagome's memories of demons back to her very first encounter- surprisingly it was the one three years ago with the lizards...then he erased _himself _from her memory. Last, but certainly not least, he erased all knowledge of her own power from her mind, forcing it to slumber within her once more. He could no longer sense the dangerous power that drew him in while repelling him at the same time- she felt like a normal human. With a satisfied hum, Hiei began walking towards the entrance of the park, cradling the small child in his arms as he went.

_'I've taken all the precautions I can...,' _he sighed silently to himself. _'But I still feel as though this isn't over. She may be attacked by that damn bat...' _He frowned to himself, nearing the end of the woodsy area, a clearing opening up before him. Guilt nagged at him, the koorime feeling that it was partially his fault that she'd gotten pulled into that fight- if he hadn't have decided to meet the lizard behind her shrine those few short years ago, her power wouldn't have surfaced. If her power hadn't have awoken, those three wouldn't have targetted her as a snack... _'No matter. I'll just check in every few years to make sure she's alright. I don't want my efforts to have gone to waste... There's no harm in it_.' Going as far as he dare go, Hiei bent down and situated Kagome so that she was sitting against a tree. He leaned close to the girl, giving her a final message that was reinforced by a stern little flare of his youki. "Keep yourself out of trouble, little one. ...I _mean _it." A smile spread over her face in her sleep and he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out _why_. Shaking his head and putting it off as a pleasant dream- how could it be pleasant one with his youki flaring warningly against her prone and vunerable form?- Hiei stood and took to the trees again, fleeing the area once he'd set the other cat demon's body aflame and put it out as soon as he had turned to ash.

Soaring through the treetops, Hiei tried to figure out why he cared so much for the fate of the meddlesome child...and he eventually gave up, leaving it at the thought that her pure heart reminded him sorely of his sister.

Stroking his white scarf fondly, he decided it was time for him to check in on Yukina again.

**- End Chapter 1 -**

- What do ya'll think so far? These are memories that Hiei holds that Kagome lost- her forgotten memories. Why are these important? You'll see in the next chapter. :P

- I'm not sure how Hiei first got his white scarf, but for this fic let's pretend that Kagome gave it to him the first time he saved her...and he's kept it ever since. XD (Cute, no?)

- Please Review!


End file.
